06/22/2025
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈’𝐦 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫
1- I never lunge with a bridle…. Why?
✔️No matter how good your horse is, the bit will have extra lateral tension, bits are not meant to have lateral tension or movement
✔️If for some reason the horse gets “extra” and pulls the lunge or steps on it, severe damage to the oral cavity can occur
✔️I personally always use a breakaway halter for this, again in case the horse steps on the lunge
2- I always keep the bridle path clipped/cut…. Why?
✔️ When a bridle is applied, “spikey” hair or a bulk of hair can add extra pressure under the crown piece onto the pole…. Also applies to having a halter on
✔️Make sure your area is clipped/cut to at least slightly longer area than your crown piece
3- Work on different terrain… Why?
✔️ If your horse isn’t good to hack under saddle, hand hack (which I do with Darcy)
✔️Different terrain is proven to be beneficial to joints and bone health (especially in young growing horses)
✔️ Works different muscles, even if only at a walk
✔️Low impact exercise and change of scenery
4- Incorporate lower impact exercises…. Why?
✔️ Poles and cavalettis are a lower impact exercises to make the horse bend joints more to help with mobility
✔️ Helps the horse develop coordination (ok, some are a loss cause 😂 but worth trying anyways)
✔️ Can help develop core muscles that are crucial to help protect/support our horse’s backs
5- Change up to workout… Why?
✔️ If you always do flat work and same exercises, you are always working the same muscles
✔️ Different disciplines can help each other, just because you’re a dressage rider, you don’t need to jump 3 or 4 feet to have benefits… Vis versa, jumper horses can benefit from flat work to develop different muscles
✔️ Changes the challenge for your horse, makes them think differently (ie. looking for distance and different balance required)
6- At minimum a 10 mins walk warm-up…. Why?
✔️ Muscles need time to warm up, especially if the horse has been stalled for any amount of time
✔️ Motion is lotion, joints need time to move in order to get the synovial fluid (the fluid in all joints) moving to lubricate the joints
✔️ The colder the weather, the longer the walk warm-up should be. In winter, I hand walk 10 mins, then get on and walk for another 10 mins
✔️This has also been extensively studied, I’m not making it up
✔️The older the horse, the longer the warm-up needs to be (think of you getting out of bed at 16 vs 46…. Believe me, you don’t move as well and as quickly 🙄)
7- At minimum a 10 mins cool down…. Why?
✔️ Just like humans, if you work hard and don’t cool down, your muscles are more likely to develop lactic acid and cause muscles soreness
✔️ Keep in mind the intensity of the work you did… Adjust accordingly. If I w/t for 20 mins vs went cross country with your horse, the cool down will be significantly different
✔️Keep temperature in mind, hot months require possibly longer cool down vs winter months. Either way cool down is required!
✔️Make sure your horse’s respiration rate is back to normal before going back in the barn
✔️ Cool down can be partially backed or fully backed, or partially in hand or fully in hand. The goal is a proper cool down
Not everyone will agree with these reasons but with my education as bit and bridle fitter, as well as a bodyworker, these are reasons I do the things I do… Wether professional or adult amateur… it all applies!
